BP: The Moons of Autumn (Syllabic Poetry)

Recently the inaugural issue of Word Weavings, a new journal of syllabic poetry, was published by Colleen M. Chesebro and Jules Paige (nom de plume). It is The Moons of Autumn and contains various syllabic poetry forms including haiku, tanka, haibun, cinquains, and more.This pedometer geek writer will freely admit that many of the poetry forms were unfamiliar. What is particularly innovative about this journal is that every poetry form is introduced and explained.

The following haiku and butterfly cinquain were selected by the editors for inclusion:

blackberry moon   

her fingers stained

with juice

*

she picks the last apple

on the tree

harvest moon                                                                 

*

        “ Two Different Hunters”  

                          buck moon

                       the hunt begins

                the hunter wants a prize

     will the deer’s rack be large enough?

                        nine-point

                          the hunt                   

       the hunters cull the larger herds

                    donating venison

                        to a shelter

                        buck moon                     

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read more of the poetry, the book is available as an e-book and a paperback at Amazon. Thanks Colleen and Jules for including some of my poetry in The Moons of Autumn. Congratulations for putting together such a novel collection of poetry.

Aloysius Saves the Day: 99-word Flash Fiction

This week over at Carrot Ranch (www.carrotranch.com), the Wranglers as Charli Mills calls the writers there were given a prompt to write about whispers, whether creepy or otherwise in 99 words (no more, no less). The following is this pedometer geek writer’s story:

Aloysius Saves the Day

Aloysius heard the whispers of his people. He didn’t eavesdrop on their conversations, but his hearing had become more acute since his adventure in the fountain.

His hearing was augmented by violets, which clung to his fur that fateful day. Months later, Aloysius still could hear the slightest sound any of his family made.

Lily, the youngest child, decided to run away from home because she was mad at her parents. Lily packed underwear in her backpack, walked to the corner, and cried.

Aloysius came to Lily’s rescue, sitting with her, comforting her, purring, and finally leading her home.

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read all the stories written about whispers, check out the blog at http://www.carrotranch.com.

On an unrelated matter, on last week’s Haiku Dialogue column at the Haiku Foundation, this pedometer geek had a haiku chosen for inclusion on the prompt: Finding Peace and Contemplation in worn, imperfect, and transient things (an old ship’s chain). Thanks to the editor, Marietta McGregor, for choosing the following haiku:

chain broken…

too many nights

of unfaithfulness

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read all the haiku chosen for inclusion, check out Haiku Dialogue at http://www.thehaikufoundation.org

   

BP: Failed Haiku #70

This pedometer geek writer submitted haiku and senryu to a few journals in September. Per usual, there were one or two rejections, but for the most part, this writer was pleasantly surprised to have had several poems selected.  

One journal, in which there were four senryu accepted for publication, was Mike Rehling’s Failed Haiku for October. Thank you, Mike for accepting the following senryu:

library cull

i score

the Higginson             

*

gardening

she pulls weeds

from the old doormat

*

lazy afternoon

even her wine says

relax

*

she picks up garbage

on the beach

feng shui

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read all of the senryu by haiku poets from around the world in Failed Haiku #70, check out http://www.failedhaiku.com

In the Clover: A 99-Word Flash Fiction

This week over at Carrot Ranch ( http://www.carrotranch.com ), the prompt was to write a 99 word (no more, no less) using the phrase “over the water.” The following is the pedometer geek writer’s take on the prompt:

In the Clover

Aloysius, the white cat, was running alongside the black horse. The horse leaped over a fence; Aloysius jumped through the slats, and they continued across another open field nearing a swiftly flowing stream.

The horse easily jumped across the water, but Aloysius stopped on the bank.

Aloysius didn’t particularly like getting wet (and what cat does?), but there was no way he could make the lengthy jump the steed did. He didn’t want to use his blue jay feather to fly though.

Standing in green clover, Aloysius wished there was a bridge, and in the wishing, a bridge appeared.

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read all of the 99 word flash fictions, check out http://www.carrotranch.com blog.

Last week’s prompt was to write a 99 word (no more, no less) about an author’s chair. This pedometer geek missed the cutoff date because the muse abandoned me until the following day. The following is the pedometer geek’s take on the prompt:

Sitting Pretty 

“Author, author!” the crowd at the bookstore chanted. They were here to see the famous author, who had written the series, Fractured Fairy Tails.

 G. E. Locke had not only become famous for her twists on fairy tales, but she was very particular about everything especially her author’s seat.

When she arrived, she had tried out the high-backed armchair; she tried sitting in the recliner. She even tried out an ergonomic desk chair. She rejected them all.

None of them felt quite as comfortable as she desired. Finally, Goldie sat down in a wooden rocker. It was just right.  

~Nancy Brady, 2021

BP: Haiku Dialogue–Finding Peace and Contemplation

This week at the Haiku Foundation’s weekly column, Haiku Dialogue, the photo prompt was that of a gnarled tree (and ageing) for the continuing theme of “finding peace and contemplation of worn, imperfect, and transient things.”  Marietta McGregor, who is serving the editor for this series, was kind enough to include one of my haiku in this mix of thoughtful haiku on ageing. It is as follows:

an elderly friend

teaches her about accessories

clip on earrings

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read all the haiku on the subject of the gnarled tree and ageing, check out www.thehaikufoundation.org and look for Haiku Dialogue under Troutswirl. Thanks Marietta for choosing to include one of my haiku with the rest of the other haiku.

While this pedometer geek usually does not relate the story behind the haiku, this is an exception. Generally, I want the haiku to stand (or fall) on its own merit.  Having said that, I still think this woman deserves to be remembered.  

To read a little about Edna Cornelius, the woman who inspired my haiku, check out www.smithwrite.net/ednac/ednac.html . She was a treasure, who said every woman should wear earrings, and she gave me some. I miss her still, but several of her watercolors hang in our home.

After wearing them a time or two, I discovered just how painful they were, and at age forty-two, I got my ears pierced. I figured the one-time pain couldn’t be any worse. She and my husband were pleased by my wearing earrings.

 I must say it has been more than twenty years since I had my ears pierced, but if I go more than a day without wearing any earrings, the holes in my ears start to close up. I sometimes think that my ears really don’t want to have extra holes in them.  

BP: Haiku Dialogue–Finding Peace and Contemplation

…in worn, imperfect, transient things (a rusty hitching post). This week at the Haiku Foundation’s weekly column, Haiku Dialogue, the photo prompt was that of an old hitching post in the shape of an S and its shadow on the stucco wall behind it. Since the shadow was prominent, guest editor Marietta McGregor indicated that the subject of shadows could also be used to craft a haiku.

This pedometer geek writer used shadows to write a couple haiku, and the editor chose to include one of them in this week’s column. The haiku is as follows:

summer afternoon

cloud shadows cross

our sails

~Nancy Brady, 2021

There is nothing quite so peaceful as lying on the bow of a sailboat and watching the jib above. As the clouds pass in front of the sun, they create shadows.

To read all the haiku chosen by Marietta McGregor for this week’s column, check out http://www.thehaikufoundation.org. Thank you, Marietta, for including mine along with the others. It is appreciated.

On another haiku-related subject, the Haiku Foundation also asks for participation in the weekly column called Renku Sessions. Renku is a linked haiku form, and under the leader, certain parameters are met to link the current verse to the previous verse without obviously linking to the rest of the renku.

Having no idea how those decisions are made did not deter this pedometer geek writer from participating nearly every week on the twenty verse renku. The leader, John Stevenson, decided to choose a different poet’s verse each week although he welcomed (and often commented favorably on) the verses suggested by those poets. He also commented upon verses that he also liked among the contenders before announcing which verse he chose to continue the renku.

This poet was shocked when John chose one of my entries for the nineteenth verse. To be honest, many of the ones I wrote have become a part of other haiku. I still don’t understand the form very well, but I enjoyed participating in the various renku the Haiku Foundation has run in the past. This renku, called The Way of the Wind, as well as all of the others are archived on the website.

Racing the Horse: A 99-Word Flash Fiction

Nothing like the last minute for this 99 word (no more, no less) flash fiction based on the prompt from http://www.carrotranch.com, which was to write about a Big Black Horse. This pedometer geek writer has only rudimentary knowledge about horses, but that didn’t deter me from writing another tale about the white cat, Aloysius. It is as follows:

Racing the Horse

It was the autumnal equinox, and the maple leaves had already begun to turn a bright red. 

On his way home, Aloysius noticed a big black horse cantering in a field.  He wanted to run alongside the horse, but he was too slow until one red leaf fell.

Stepping on it, Aloysius suddenly sped up. More red leaves fell from the maple trees onto Aloysius’s path; he ran faster and faster until he caught up to the horse.

The horse began to gallop in response to Aloysius’s speed. Joyfully running together, the horse and cat raced around the field.  

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read all the 99-word flash fictions about a big black horse, check out http://www.carrotranch.com.

BP: Haiku Dialogue–Finding peace and…

contemplation in worn, imperfect, and transient old things…cast iron kettle. This week’s photo prompt at the Haiku Foundation’s weekly column, Haiku Dialogue, was a cast iron kettle.

Growing up in this pedometer geek’s household, there was a series of tea kettles, but none of them were cast iron. Long story short on the lifetime of tea kettles in our house was that a few of them melted down when the water dried up. Maybe a cast iron tea kettle would have been useful, but I digress.

Through all the years, though, my mother had a cast iron skillet, that was well seasoned. She used it for many things, one of which always stood out to me. It was this use that the haiku focused upon, and Marietta McGregor chose to include this haiku in this column. This pedometer geek’s haiku is as follows:

cornbread bakes

in mom’s cast iron skillet

ham and beans

~Nancy Brady, 2021

Ham and beans was a favorite meal of my parents. They especially enjoyed it during the fall and winter months, but it was one of the only meals in which my mom would be willing to fix my sisters and me something else. It was usually eggs and toast, but I still would enjoy a slice of cornbread with butter as well as cornbread and milk for dessert despite the substitute dinner. To my way of thinking, it was the best of both worlds.

To read all the haiku on the subject, check out http://www.thehaikufoundation.org under Haiku Dialogue. Thank you, Marietta, for including one of my haiku this week; it is appreciated.

GBBS: A 99-Word Flash Fiction

This week over at Carrot Ranch ( http://www.carrotranch.com ), the prompt was to write a story about a cooking show in 99 words (no more, no less), and to go where the prompt took you.

As a general rule, this pedometer geek will admit that my cooking and baking skills are rather limited. Although I used to make yeast breads and rolls, I am not above using cake mixes, and I don’t watch many cooking shows except for one, and that was where the story prompt took me,

GBBS

Weekly, Julia watched mesmerized as twelve amateur bakers were whittled down to the best baker during this reality cooking show. Each baker was tasked with making baked goods based upon the theme.

There were three timed challenges: the Signature Bake, a special themed recipe that the contestant was comfortable preparing; the Technical Challenge, which consisted of one of the judge’s tricky recipes.  Ingredients and minimal instructions were given to each baker, prepared, and then blindly judged; and the Showstopper, an over-the-top concoction.

Julia was most impressed with the unique flavor combinations, the imaginative designs, and each baker’s baking skills.

~Nancy Brady, 2021

To read all the cooking stories, check out http://www.carrotranch.com.

BP: Haiku Dialogue (Contemplating Old Wagons, Etc.)

This week at the Haiku Foundation’s weekly column, Haiku Dialogue, the photo prompt was that of an old broken down wagon covered with vines; however, it wasn’t mandatory to use that particular image. Marietta McGregor, who is the column’s guest editor, went on to say that it was “finding peace and contemplation…in worn, imperfect, and transient things.”

There were many haiku poets that wrote about their haiku moment, past and present, with old wagons, but this pedometer geek writer went in a different direction, and is grateful that the editor chose to include it in the column. The haiku is as follows:

flat irons

grandma’s new

door stops

~Nancy Brady, 2021

Although my grandmother has been gone for fifty years, I still remember her door stops made from heavy flat irons. Before the irons of today, if anyone actually uses an iron on clothing any more.—I do, occasionally, but I digress, there were flat irons.

The iron was heated on stoves and then used to press the clothing item until it cooled down when it would be replaced by another heated flat iron. I can’t imagine the time and energy it must have taken to iron even one shirt.

Regardless, my grandmother’s flat irons made effective door stops.

To read all the haiku on wagons and other worn, imperfect, and transient things, check out Haiku Dialogue on the Haiku Foundation: http://www.thehaikufoundation.org

Thank you, Marietta for seeing something worthwhile in my haiku; it is appreciated